Peter Obi, the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, has issued a stark warning about the state of Nigeria’s democracy, claiming it is disintegrating under the current administration.
His remarks came on Monday during a colloquium held to mark the 60th birthday of Emeka Ihedioha, the former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, where Obi pointed to the recent suspension of Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara as a glaring example of democratic backsliding.
Background to the Rivers State Crisis
The controversy stems from a dramatic move by President Bola Tinubu last Tuesday, when he declared a state of emergency in Rivers State. Tinubu justified the decision by citing a prolonged political crisis in the oil-rich state, compounded by the vandalism of critical oil facilities. As part of the emergency measures, the president suspended Governor Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and all members of the Rivers State House of Assembly for a period of six months. In their stead, Tinubu appointed Ibok-Ete Ibas, a retired Vice-Admiral, as the sole administrator to govern the state during this period.
The declaration sparked immediate backlash, with several stakeholders, including the South-South Governors’ Forum, condemning it as an overreach of executive power. On Thursday, the Senate and the House of Representatives controversially ratified Tinubu’s request, further fueling the debate over the state of Nigeria’s democratic institutions.
Obi’s Personal Reflection on Democracy
Speaking during a panel discussion at Ihedioha’s birthday event, Obi drew from his own experience as governor of Anambra State to underscore what he sees as a stark contrast between past and present governance. On November 2, 2006, Obi was impeached by the Anambra State House of Assembly, only to be reinstated by the courts in February 2007 after successfully challenging the decision. He recalled how then-President Olusegun Obasanjo intervened on his behalf, sending a delegation—including then-Senate President Ken Nnamani—to plead with the state assembly to halt the impeachment process.
“Some people came and knocked everything down. That is the situation we are in now. Everything has been knocked down. Nothing works,” Obi lamented, arguing that Nigeria’s democratic gains since the return to civilian rule in 1999 are being systematically dismantled. “I became a governor through the court when President Obasanjo and Atiku were in government. I did not pay the court one naira. I was sitting in my office, and the court declared me the winner. It can’t happen in Nigeria today.”
Obi emphasized the support he received from the presidency at the time, despite being a member of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) while Obasanjo and his administration were aligned with the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). “When I was being impeached, the president sent people to intervene on my behalf. Ken Nnamani came, begging the house not to impeach me,” he said. “Today, the president (Tinubu) is impeaching a person (Fubara).”
He recounted further instances of support, noting how Obasanjo personally called to check on his well-being during the impeachment saga. “They were in PDP; I was in APGA. The president was calling and saying, ‘Peter, are you okay?’ Even when I was impeached, President Obasanjo called and said, ‘Are you okay? Are you safe?’” Obi said.
Obi also shared an anecdote from his reinstatement, when the late President Umaru Yar’Adua reached out to him while he was in London. “When the court eventually declared me the winner under Andy Uba (as governor), President Yar’Adua called my phone and said, ‘Come back.’ I said, ‘President, I can’t come back.’ When I did, the military received me at the airport and took me straight to him. I couldn’t believe it. Now, the president would ask me not to come back. Democracy is collapsing.”
A Historical Parallel
To bolster his argument, Obi referenced a precedent set by Obasanjo on May 18, 2004, when the former president declared a state of emergency in Plateau State amid violent ethnic and religious clashes. At the time, Obasanjo suspended Governor Joshua Dariye and the state legislature, appointing retired General Chris Alli as the sole administrator. While acknowledging this historical action, Obi suggested that the current emergency rule in Rivers State reflects a more troubling trend—an erosion of democratic principles rather than a response to immediate security threats.
A Call to Reflect
Obi’s speech painted a picture of a Nigeria where judicial independence and executive restraint, once hallmarks of its fledgling democracy, have given way to centralized control and political interference. He contrasted the personal support he received from past leaders with what he perceives as Tinubu’s direct involvement in Fubara’s suspension, framing it as a sign of a broader democratic decline.
As of March 24, 2025, the date of this report, the situation in Rivers State remains a flashpoint in Nigeria’s political landscape, with Obi’s comments adding fuel to an already heated national conversation about the health of the country’s democracy.
